Ethiopian Airlines Plane with 157 On Board Crashes en route to Kenya

Nairobi: An Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi crashed early on Sunday with 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard, a spokesman for the airline told Reuters.

Flight ET 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, 62 kilometres southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, the airline said, confirming the plane was a Boeing 737-800 MAX.

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“It is confirmed it happened 8.44 (am),” said the spokesman who did not give his name.

The Ethiopian prime minister’s office sent condolences via Twitter to the families of those lost in the crash.

“The office of the PM, on behalf of government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express it’s deepest condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning,” the PM’s office said on Twitter.